


Cyanide Kisses (and a few screws loose)

by klutzysurgeon



Category: One Piece
Genre: Cussing, Doctor Trafalgar D. Water Law, Hospitals, Kidlaw Week 2018, M/M, Mechanic Kid, Minor Injuries, Stitches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-13
Updated: 2018-01-13
Packaged: 2019-03-04 05:54:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13357926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/klutzysurgeon/pseuds/klutzysurgeon
Summary: Mechanic/Surgeon AU. Law is the doctor always on call in the ER with the bags under his eyes to prove it and Kid is a high-quality mechanic in the worst-quality neighbourhood, constantly getting into fights.





	Cyanide Kisses (and a few screws loose)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! This is for _Day 3: Profession_ of [KidLaw Week](https://kidlaw-week.tumblr.com) on Tumblr. I'll probably expand on this and add more chapters later, but this part stands on its own for now. Look forward to the rest of the week and feel free to hop in if you want!

“Hey again, Doc.”

Kid grins, all messy dried blood on his clothes and teeth stained red as he sits on the exam bed and Law has to bite down his usual retort that he’s not a fucking _dentist_ so if Eustass would kindly mind keeping his teeth where they belong for _one week_ it would make life much better. For both of them.

Instead of going down that tired path, Law eyes him up clinically, speaks dryly. “What _this_ time?”

“Pretty sure you can see the injury,” Kid scoffs, holding up his arm and sluggishly dripping a few splashes of blood onto the floor. It needs stitches; nothing new. His mouth is mostly just bloody from where he’d bitten his tongue, but that stopped actively bleeding a while ago, taste of metal lingering. “And I _know_ you know my name, Doc.”

“Just as you know mine, _patient,”_ Law sneers back. The feisty response has Kid grinning, pain long since forgotten.

Maybe he’s not quite right in the head to be enjoying these ER visits so much, but having such a fine piece of eye candy fixing him up on a regular basis isn’t something he’ll complain about. Especially not when Law has a mouth to match his– now if only he could find out how well their mouths fit together.

“I would send you off to the nurses if I didn’t think their stitchwork is atrocious,” Law sighs, an agitated sound. “With as often as you come in here asking for them, are you trying to learn? There are videos for that, Mister Eustass, you do not need so much repeated live instruction.”

“Nah, better to have you do it,” Kid says, tone sincere for just a moment before he veers into a much different kind of honesty. “Though if you’re offering some private lessons, I’d–”

A nitrile glove smacks right into his face, Law barely suppressing a satisfied grin. “My bad. It snapped right off.”

“I bet it fucking did,” Kid growls, but Law is already bending to pick it up from where it recoiled to and he’s greeted with the lovely sight of a scrubs-clad ass before he can get too angry. It’s almost disappointing; he can tell there’s so much more to be shown off in better clothes. It’s just curiosity when he blurts: “What do you wear normally?”

Law stares at him and he frowns at his own question. “Y’know, when you’re not in that? You gotta go home eventually.”

“Less often than you think.” The response isn’t cold so much as it is honest, the dark circles under Law’s eyes seeming more pronounced once called to attention. “And regardless, what business is it of yours?”

“Lighten up a bit, geez. Can’t kill a guy for being curious.” He’s curious now, too, though he’s seen Law busy himself with this procedure at least a dozen times already. It’s just so fascinating, the precision with which he does everything. Skilled hands– _very_ skilled, Kid is sure.

“Unfortunately, the law would prevent me.”

“So you _do_ have a sense of humor!”

“Who said I was kidding?” Law questions, though the curve of his lips is almost definitely amused now, Kid is sure of that too. At least, fairly sure– the glint to the doctor’s eyes is a little unnerving, syringe in hand.

He likes the thrill it gives him.

“Fuck,” Kid laughs suddenly. “You’re hard to read, anyone ever tell you that?”

“A few,” Law hums. “Give me your arm.”

Kid complies, interested in riling the doctor up but also in getting his wound stitched. The nurses had cleaned it already– wrapped it, too, but the bandages were itchy so he took them off a while ago, as soon as it had stopped bleeding through.. Still, it’s a little too jagged to leave to heal on its own, an unfortunate consequence of getting stabbed with glass rather than a proper knife. He’s _still_ pissed about that. It’s just common fucking decency to bring your own weapons if you’re going to try and assault someone.

The anesthetic floods his veins pretty quickly, spreading and numbing the area as he flexes dulling fingers, letting his arm rest limply at his side as the drug works its magic. “How did you get injured this time?” Law idly inquires. He doesn’t seem particularly interested in the answer one way or the other; Kid knows from past experience he’s just waiting for the drug to set in before he starts stitching.

He answers anyway. It’s progress to get the stoic doctor to even attempt smalltalk, let alone initiate it. “Fucker jabbed glass in my arm,” Kid shrugs, agitation scrunching up his face. “I’m throwing a knife at everyone before we fight now. Either it kills them or they’ll stab me with something nicer, win-win.”

“It seems unwise to arm your opponents.” A pause, and Law shifts, folding his arms in front of his chest as he leans against the wall. “Though I suppose I can’t expect much from someone getting into these fights in the first place.”

“I’m not the one _starting_ them!”

“Finishing them or losing them, then? I haven’t tended to anyone who would match the description of being in these fights.”

“They ain’t dead, if that’s what you’re asking,” Kid huffs. “...Probably. They just slink away when they realize they’ve lost, not the hospital type. Not my fault if they die coz of that.”

“I would not have taken you for the hospital type either,” Law muses. “Though I am glad that you aren’t entirely stupid.”

“Oh? That was _almost_ a compliment, Doc! You must really be warming up to me,” Kid grins. Law thinks he must be out of his mind for the way his own lips twitch in return, though he shoots the redhead a withering glance regardless, moving away from the wall to tear open the suture packet.

Stitches, at least, are a routine Law is familiar with. Eustass Kid’s presence is another matter entirely; routine but unpredictable, the man always coming back for more no matter how insulting or dismissive he is in return. If anything, a sharp tongue only seems to spur him on, and Law can reluctantly admit that their banter is more entertaining than most of his interactions.

But then, the competition isn’t so steep, considering he mostly deals with frazzled and irritated ER patients.

Kid watches, fascinated, as Law draws the skin together with confident motions. He can’t feel it though he knows its his own arm and the disconnect is a little disconcerting, though he’s pretty sure it’s preferable to actually feeling himself get sewn back together. He hasn’t ever had novice stitches done, so the closest he can imagine is when he had to pull some stunts with superglue back when he _was_ too stupid to go to the hospital, though he’s sure as hell not going to tell Law about that.

A simple snip and it’s done, leaving Kid’s arm finished while the man himself is not. “Pretty nice work,” he says. He means it; he hasn’t had a scar yet from anything Law’s stitched up, a far cry from all the shitty marks he’s got from less tended to injuries.

Even so, Law stares at him with disdain as he disposes of the suture kit and Kid is baffled, bristling automatically at the look. He _seriously_ can’t gauge this man. “What crawled up your ass all the sudden? It was a compliment!”

“It was a throwaway comment; you do not know what good stitches even are, you cannot judge if this is “pretty nice work” or not.” Law’s tone is biting and Kid can’t help but bite back, painted red lips set in an angry frown.

“I have _eyes,_  I don’t need to go to med school to tell you did a good job. Excuse the fuck out of me for trying to give you a compliment.”

“As if medical school would accept you,” Law scoffs. “It never even prepared me to _deal_ with you.”

He nearly opens his mouth to retort but that comment sparks Kid’s interest– he sees an opportunity to draw the conversation out further and he takes it. Oh, he knows he _shouldn’t;_ the ER is never empty, and Law’s got other patients to tend to, but he frankly can’t bring himself to let the doctor go again if he doesn’t get something out of it this time. “Didn’t teach you good manners either,” Kid snorts. “What, you fresh out the gates or something?”

“I suppose you could say that. This is my first year of solo practice.”

“That makes you what, twenty something?”

“Twenty-six.”

“Three years older,” Kid blurts, a little surprised. The doctor doesn’t seem much older than himself, though he doesn't know much of anything personal about him so it's hard to get a gauge. Law just smirks, their heights even with Kid still sitting down.

“Why so surprised? Though I already knew from your file, it is still quite obvious that you are younger than me.”

“That’s not fair,” Kid huffs. “You’ve got all that info on me and I don’t know anything about you. Fair’s fair, doc.”

“ _Fair_ is a doctor having access to his patient’s necessary files,” Law retorts. “This is a hospital, Mister Eustass, not a coffee date.”

“So let me take you on a coffee date,” Kid grins. “Works out for everyone.”

“It works out for _you.”_

“Aw, c’mon, I know you like coffee.”

“I enjoy coffee and good company,” Law dryly finishes, picking up his chart and heading for the door. “The nurses will bring you your discharge papers, though I imagine you know how to care for stitches by now.”

He’s out the room in one swift movement and Kid is left to stare at the door, flexing his numb fingers determinedly, fierce grin spreading. After all, it wouldn’t be fun if it were easy.

Kid leaves his number on a slip of paperwork and tells the nurse to _give it back to the doc, would you? Think he forgot it_ with a sly grin; Law’s lips betray him with a reserved smile of his own when he sees it, amusement winning out over agitation.

“Persistent, aren’t you, Mister Eustass…”


End file.
